Opinion: Is student use of generative AI cheating? The answer is complicated

The rise of generative AI has sparked widespread ethical concerns among educators, with many fearing a surge in student cheating. Some instructors are banning the tools in classrooms and utilizing detection software to police student behavior, while others are deciding to quit.

We believe this approach is reactionary and overlooks a more pressing question: Should our traditional definition of academic integrity — the idea of fair play in the context of learning — still hold sway in the era of GenAI? Learning to work with the technology, rather than against it, is a more sustainable path forward.

Evidence suggests that plagiarism hasn’t significantly increased since GenAI tools became popular. Research from Stanford University indicates that cheating rates have actually remained stable, with the primary motivators for cheating being familiar issues like poor time management and overwhelming workloads, not access to AI technologies. Yet many educators report a growing distrust in their students' work, which may indicate a deep-seated tension between longstanding notions of learning and the realities of today’s GenAI landscape.